Walls from which plants grow are known in the prior art. Such walls may be formed from a matrix of rectangular box building components secured to a backing board. Each component is filled with a growing medium, and plants grow through apertures in a front face of a component with their roots positioned in the growing medium. Such components and walls are described in UK Patent Publication 2457537.
One problem with these walls relates to the loss of valuable nutrients. The plants in the walls are irrigated with water, which contains nutrients. As the nutrient-containing water is fed into the components, excess water is pulled downwardly by gravity, trickles down through apertures in the bottom face of an upper wall component, and then enters a lower component immediately below the upper wall component through its top face. This leads to over-irrigation of the plants at the bottom of the wall. In addition, plants grow inconsistently over the wall. Plants at the bottom of the wall die from excessive water, while plants at the top of the wall can die from inadequate water and nutrients.
Another problem with the prior art is that irrigation pipes are integrated with and inseparable from the wall components. If it is desired to remove a component from the wall, for example to replace it or provide it with new plants, the irrigation pipes also need to be disconnected. The disconnection and removal of the irrigation pipes is time consuming and inefficient, and may adversely affect the plants and roots, for example, by damaging the plants and roots.
A need exists for a structure that provides for the controlled delivery, distribution, and drainage of water and nutrients to a plant wall for use in growing plants. The wall components or modules used in the plant wall would then provide for a more even distribution of water and nutrients across all levels of the plant wall.